Redefining hate: from diabolical anti-love to any criticism of the fragile self
This is a guest post by by the Rev'd Dr Gavin Ashenden. _____ During the General Synod debate on homosexuality I took to twitter. It’s like sitting up in the…
Philosophy
“We have built our tower to the Moon, and now we build it to Mars. What, then, is denied to us?”
This is a guest post by Carl Jacobs: a Christian by grace, a Calvinist by conviction, an American by birth. Husband of one, father of two, an engineer by profession, proudly possessed of a military mind. You never actually take…
Discrimination and discernment: an exercise in relativist supremacy
This is a guest post by the Rev’d Dr Gavin Ashenden, former Chaplain to the Queen. ___________________________ In the great amphitheatre of Twitter a gladiatorial combat recently took place between…
Michael Gove doesn't want to be PM: he wants meritocracy and freedom
"Michael Gove won't admit it, but tonight's EU debate is his first audition for the Tory leadership," wrote Asa Bennett in the Telegraph. Except he didn't because it wasn't.…
Compassionate Conservatism and Social Justice - bedfellows or bugbears?
Talk to most Labour supporters about 'compassionate conservatism', and they'll scoff at the very notion, as though the evil Tories had stolen the robe of Christ and were masquerading…
"How can a Christian vote Tory?"
It has been the most frequent question posed over the past month or so – sometimes emailed or DM'd; most often tweeted, and frequently interrogated in the chat threads.…
Welby: equality as a government aim is "doomed to totalitarianism"
Justin Welby often gets it in the neck from Tories who are quick to spy Marxism under every mitre, but this Archbishop is rather more nuanced than that. In…
Why do bishops flaunt their Socialism but shroud their Conservatism?
When the Archbishop of York was giving media interviews recently to promote his book On Rock or Sand?, he made clear that "the theology of where I am coming…
What are 'fundamental British values'?
In a context of fractious social division and increasing religious tension, the Government is on a quest for national identity, and education is the means by which it will…
Christianity is the key to redeeming Capitalism
The Christian think tank Theos has quite a remarkable knack of producing reports that are both thorough and of an incredibly high quality. I've repeatedly covered their work over the last few…
Why do left-wing clerics insult and alienate right-wing laity?
I don’t just disagree with Ukip. I despise them. I despise them for their smug Little Englander mentality. I despise them for their total absence of fellow-feeling towards vulnerable people…
Cameron prioritises national security and social justice
It is easy to be disenchanted by politics and cynical about politicians - especially if you're persuaded they're all disingenuous liars whose objective is shadowy manipulation and the pursuit of…
We should judge politicians by their fruits, not their failings
Mark Reckless MP is a man of faith; a faith which has, on occasion, caused him to delve into contentious matters of morality and probe certain state authorities which most…
AC Grayling's call to abolish RE in schools is dangerously ignorant
A couple of weeks ago I was in a conversation with a BBC producer discussing faith schools and their admissions policies. We talked about the possibility of my appearance on BBC1's Sunday…